After the way the starting pitching let him down in the LCS, I fully expect George to go overboard bringing in starters in the offseason. The Vasquez-for-Johnson rumours have been going strong for a couple days now, and I've heard Steinbrenner wants to not only do that but also bring in Pedro, Al Leiter, and a fourth guy whose name escapes me. Plus to stick it to the Sox, I don't think there's anything the Boss wouldn't do.

Originally posted by StaggerLeeI would forgive Pedro for throwing Zim to the ground if he could help the Yankees win another few titles.

And I would forgive Pedro for throwing Zim to the ground if there was ever something to forgive him for. Zimmer charged Pedro, Pedro dodged. If Zimmer doesn't charge, he doesn't wind up making an ass of himself.

"He is the most overrated piece of crap in the league. He bitched and whined after he got his ass beaten in New England last year, so the NFL changed the rules. Then he got his ass beaten in New England again. Every year he's the top MVP candidate. Every year he's supposed to be the best. Every year he's going to carry the Colts to the Super Bowl. And every single year he goes to New England and gets his ass beaten. And his brother's a whiny little bitch." -A friend of mine, on Peyton Manning

----------------------------------Said e-mailer Chris Woodard, "Do not sign Pedro Martinez! It is a horrible idea for several reasons. It will destroy team chemistry. Pedro will be a cancer to this team. He is the opposite of what a Yankee should be. Even if you make him shave his head, ban midgets from the clubhouse, and keep him away from saying dumb things in the media, he will still be a crazy guy who everyone hates." ----------------------------------"If you ever disgrace our pinstripes by allowing that bum Pedro to wear them, I, along with many of my other die-hard Yankees fans, will disown the Yankees," reader John Lynch said. "I don't care how desperate we may be for pitching. We do not need him on our team." ----------------------------------"No way do we need that shower-cap wearing freak in New York," said message board poster "mafew." "The wins wouldn't be worth having to look at his greasy head shaking 'No' at Posada." ----------------------------------

If Pedro were to become a Yankee, the fans would still hate him, at least up until him throwing a 3 hitter against Boston the first series of the season, at which time Pedro would become the Second Coming to Yankee fans. However, I don't see him becoming a Yankee. If he does leave Boston, it makes much more sense for him to go to the National League, where the weak bottom of the orders will allow him to regain his form. Remember, he is still a dominant pitcher against teams not named the Yankees. But, when push comes to shove, I think Boston will have him and Pavano, let Varitek go and pick up Miller to catch. It took close to 9 decades to remember, but you win championships with pitching and then offense.

The Ottoman Empire is coming. The Ottoman Empire is coming. Hide the couches.

Originally posted by BigVitoMarkAfter the way the starting pitching let him down in the LCS, I fully expect George to go overboard bringing in starters in the offseason. The Vasquez-for-Johnson rumours have been going strong for a couple days now, and I've heard Steinbrenner wants to not only do that but also bring in Pedro, Al Leiter, and a fourth guy whose name escapes me. Plus to stick it to the Sox, I don't think there's anything the Boss wouldn't do.

Winning one more game in October really would have stuck it to them, but the big guy just wouldn't go that far.

Originally posted by LexusTrust me, every Yankee fan would welcome Pedro with open arms

Puhleeze, can't trust you here. I would have that throw-up-in-my-mouth thing going every time I even THOUGHT of Pedro on the Yanks. It was bad enough having to root for Clemens, and I don't know if I could do it. I have heard that the whole scenario is a work, maybe to drive Pedro's price tag with Boston up, but its pretty high as it is - 2 years @ $22 mil with an option? I just can't see it. Please, please, PLEASE tell me this will not happen.

With the exception of one widely contested report in the Bergen Record, everyone has said NYY did not offer Pedro anything, and that The Boss has delegated negotiations to Cashman, perhaps signalling his lack of interest.

It seems to me there is zero bidding war for Pedro here, and he and his agent are doing their damndest to create one. Maybe ANA gets into the mix if they can't snag Varitek or someone else. But, as of now, it sure seems like Boston bidding against Boston.

Counting the option, it's four years and approximately $50 million. I heard about it this morning on the radio and gave it a lot of thought while commuting on the subway...as a Mets fan, I love it. Honestly, I have no expectation that Pedro will wind up in a Mets uniform next season, but it's a bold, visible, aggressive move that puts the team in the spotlight and shows that Minaya means business. Having dinner with the guy over Thanksgiving ala Theo Epstein / Curt Schilling was a great touch, too. Now, other free agents know to strongly consider the Mets this year and going forward because the team is ready to turn it around.

And even if by some astonishing miracle Pedro winds up in blue and orange, it would still be a good move. He's far younger and better than Al Leiter, and back in the National League sans the designated hitter his numbers could arguably improve. Heck, I'll even throw in the inevitable "Rick Peterson / Pitching Guru" talk to speculate that he could even get better again. Bottom line, I still recall in fear and horror how the Montreal Expos-era Pedro routinely killed the Mets like nobody I've ever seen, and would welcome even a shell of that former player with open arms.

In reality, though, I expect Boston to up their deal and he'll wind up back there. The Yanks probably just toyed with him to tweak their rival and will "settle" for somebody like Pavano or Leiter or trade for the Big Unit.